Apple’s AirTag 2 Anticipated Before Holiday Season
Apple is expected to release an updated version of its popular AirTag item tracker before the end of the year, offering improvements to range, wireless capabilities, and privacy features.
Rumors suggest the AirTag 2 will maintain a similar design to the original model, though a slight reduction in size is possible. The primary upgrades will focus on enhancing existing functionality, including a potential threefold increase in the Precision Finding range—from 10-30 meters to 30-90 meters—thanks to an upgraded Ultra Wideband chip. This improvement could make locating lost items significantly easier, particularly in larger spaces.
Privacy concerns surrounding the AirTag have been ongoing, and the new version aims to address these with a design that makes the speaker more difficult to remove. Apple has previously faced scrutiny regarding the potential misuse of AirTags for unwanted tracking; you can learn more about these concerns from the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The company is also expected to implement other privacy enhancements, though details remain scarce. For those considering purchasing tracking devices, understanding the FTC’s guidance on tracking devices is crucial.
Current AirTag 4-packs are available for $64.99, leading to speculation that retailers may be clearing inventory in anticipation of the new release. Apple has not yet announced an official launch date, but industry analysts predict availability before the holiday shopping season.
Apple officials have indicated they will share more details regarding the AirTag 2 and its features in the coming weeks.
Four years after the original AirTag debuted, we’re still waiting for the first proper hardware revision. Rumors indicate AirTag 2 could launch soon, here’s an overview of how the two products might compare.
AirTag 2 could launch soon, will it be worth the wait?
We’ve been expecting Apple to launch its new AirTag for a while now. Rumors originally pinned a launch around mid-year, then iOS 18.6 hinted at its debut, and finally many—myself included—thought it might arrive during the iPhone 17 event.
Now, the latest AirTag 2 expectations are for a launch before the holiday season kicks off.
Perhaps it’s fitting for a product whose predecessor arrived much later than expected, despite evidence it had long been ready to go.
Will AirTag 2 be worth the wait?
Rumors indicate the AirTag successor won’t be a radical departure from the original model. Instead, it will focus largely on improvements to the existing feature set.
AirTag 2 will focus on upgrading existing features, per rumors
Regarding AirTag 2’s design, Bloomberg has reported that the product “will look similar to the current model”.
I suspect we might still see a slight size reduction to make the device thinner. For example, to make it fit better inside of wallets. Apple’s miniaturization skills have progressed a lot in the last four years.
Mostly though, AirTag 2 is expected to focus on three upgrades:
- offering better range
- upgrading the wireless chip
- improving privacy, such as by making the speaker harder to remove
Likely, Apple will replace the current first-gen Ultra Wideband chip inside AirTag with the more recent second-gen version.
This UWB upgrade should lead AirTag 2 to offer Precision Finding at up to 30-90 meters, a 3x improvement over the current 10-30 meter range.
Privacy has been one of the longstanding concerns with AirTag, despite Apple’s software efforts to make it ill-fitting for stalking or other illicit uses.
AirTag 2 making the speaker harder to remove will be a good thing, but hopefully there are other privacy improvements coming too.
If you’re interested in picking up more AirTags, Amazon currently has a 4-pack for only $64.99. Is this because the company believes AirTag 2 is launching soon, and needs to clear inventory? Who knows.
But if you don’t want to wait and see what Apple has in store for the new AirTag, now’s a good time to buy.
Best AirTag deals and accessories
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